Wedge power mixing valve



July 24, 1951 R. E. QUILLIN. ET AL WEDGE POWER MIXING VALVE 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1947 OUTLET fink... E I H k afiAQ a a w wWWW 2 OUTLET Fwa."

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July 24, 1951 Filed Jan. 16, 1947 R. E. QUILLIN ETAL.

WEDGE POWER MIXING VALVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fllwenf: rs Robert E Quill LDonald Cowlie CZJJ Caualuzw.

J 1951 R. E. QUILLIN ETAL 2,561,993,

WEDGE POWER MIXING VALVE Filed Jan. 16, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 JnvemlorsRoberfi- E. Qmillazc Donald Coulfid Attorney i'si k Patented July 24,1951 UNITED STATES Robert 'E. Q iuin'. niniafasfijen ie bqh1tea-Reynoldsburg; and Corneli s James-Callaghan,

Columbus, Ohio Applieatibn January 16, 1947, Serial No. v zasief 5Claims.

I i ention'relates to multiple valves and p ticul'arly tomiiiing valvesfor selectively rgin'g either hot or cold water and for'disrging varyingcombinations of hot andcold ter into either a shower head or into a tub,

" my, or the like.

o'fore valves of this type usually have lieadswhich are turned intoengagement with the valve seat by a slow-turning screw and with eachturning and seating of the valve, wear from jfrietion' requires frequentreplacement of washer's' lt'o preventleakihg from the water dischargeoutlet. In a multiple valve, it is difficult to deterxin in'ejfwhetherthe cold or hot water valve is leaking'lwithout taking out both valves,so as to inspect the washers. It is an object of our invenltiiontoprovide a novel valve construction, so as eliminate such frequent Washerreplacement a d tt thereb'yp'rovide a substantially troublefree valvearrangement by the provision of a valve which exerts no friction on thevalve stem seat in opening or closing the valves in the mixing chamber.I p

another object is to provide a novel valve lever control arrangementusing no slow-turnscrew actuators with the valve stems "suspended between the leverage and water pressure 'when in operation, whereby there is amore rapid control of the valves than with screw actuators. furtherobject is to provide a lever operated valve control wedge arrangement,operable by a minimum of exertion and particularly in compariso with theusual slow-turning screwoperated, valves.

v (With the foregoing and other objects in View,

the invention'will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be moreparticularly pointed out in the-claims appended hereto.

. 1 In the drawings wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the sev- "showingthe operating Wedge turned to positionffor 'sup plyihg eoldfwater to" the shower or"tub according to thesetting of the lever for contro lliiigfthe shower o'rtub feed.

lii'g'ure" 6' is a, bottom view of the top wedge 5 "platefo'rfcontrollingithe valves.

" Figure 7"is a partial view in'cross section of the wedge actuators. t

Referring to thej' rawin'gsfand first with particuarrerereneetb Figures1 and 3, our device comprises a housing I in which arei'riounted twovalves Ii"fandliflfforcontrolling the hot and epmfwate imets {M and frespectively.

j' Ihe inlets connectirit'o a mixing chamber IS in the housing ljn.white ehaihber connects with tun rs-2o anazrat he rear end thereof. "In

' rotat'ably mounted the ow s1eeve 24. This sleeve in one well adaptedto i1, outlet "zujc'oniiect n 'with "a bathtub or the *likfe hotenactment! connecting with a v shower head ori-jth like not shown. Thefront wa .;th .cha elihgs a s a e s fi mwi eg gWIiiQh2 9 into centrallycate d internally threaded nipple 21. "The nipple r211 lc nw h i9 en-fro h miter f .face of; the front wall of chamber l8 "to the e5;-terior of 'the wa1l;. 23 of abathroom or, the like.

-An externally threaded, plug 29 is provided having ap'entral openingtherethrough-and a flaring ;end 30 facing thebottom of the nipple 2L andthe -flaredend of apacking-gland stop collar 90, -which is positionq by,a, shoulder in the bottom :"of -nipple- 21,; so as-to provide a spacefor pack- -in -M Y t A:sh'aft 33 extends from a pronged actuator '34"throughztheopeninginthe front wall of cham- "ber; l 8,"a stopccollarfifl, the-packing space and packing 31; thepl'ug .2 9, alock platetfi, acoiled spring 31 and a cap 38 into a handle 40.

The cap 3-8 is zmounted aroundthe nipple 21 in uaniescutcheon plate-4l"-on:.the exterior of the bathroom iWQJIL'iB. This cap -ishelcl inposition byi'hafid'le. 740 and; the coil sprin'g' '31 compressed betweentheunclersideithereof and the top'of lock plate 36 which is urgedintoen'gagement with ends of nipple "21 and the plug. 29. The surfaceejsen ted to the -underside of the lock plate 36 If the znipiivle an'clplug con'tains fourrecessespartt re'ceiv alocking lug' 43iormed fromthei ndersidelbf said plate 36 to pro'vide packing and faldi'liistnleh tand prevent loosening of packe e-hen 40 i turned om one po'sition to-an-1 1) bids L; 4 W

theriofthe outlet-size or other. Cap 38 is to provide a finishedexterior beyond escutcheon plate.

Mounted above the housing is a second housing 50 into which extends thevalve stems and 52 through packing glands 53 and 54, respectively. Thecenter plug of each packing gland 55 and 56 is counterbored to serve asa socket for 'a coiled spring 57, which is coiled around the end of eachvalve stem. One end of these springs seats on the bottom of thecounterbored part of the plugs 55 and 56 and the other end is inengagement under a washer 58 held on the end of each valve stem by acotter pin 59. Thus the springs 51 normally tend to close the valves II'and I2 and the water pressure also tends to urge the valves to closedposition.

Our novel valve actuator for the hot and cold water valves II and I2,comprises a pair of centrally apertured plates 60 and 6|, one mountedabove the other on a bolt 62. This bolt is threaded into an internallythreaded nipple 64 centrally mounted in the top wall of the mixingchamber l8 between the packing glands 55 and 56, from which the ends ofthe valve stems 5| and 52 extend into close proximity to the bottom faceof the lower plate 6| when in a neutral or non-valve-actuating position.The upper plate 60 has its central aperture in the form of a slot.

Mounted between the bottom face of the plate BI and the top edge of thenipple 64 is a coiled spring 61. The spring 61 is normally expanding toyieldably urge the plate 6| in constant engagement with the upper plate6|]. The plate 60 is prevented from any vertical movement on the sleeve66 as its top flat surface is stopped by the top wall of the secondhousing 50, only the head of the bolt extending beyond this top wall.

Each plate 60 and GI has curved opposed raised cam edges 10 and 1| whichare wedge-shaped in cross section, as shown in Figures 1 and 7, so thehigh point of each upper curved wedge or cam edge is adjacent the lowpoint of each lower curved wedge or cam edge. Each plate 66 and BI isspecially formed to provide for either selectively opening the valves Hand I2 or for opening both of the valves at like or at differentextents, to thereby control the feeding and mixing of the hot and coldwater to the tub or the shower or the like. For example, the lower plate6| has its central opening around the sleeve 66 large enough to permitthe same to tilt, to thereby press down on the end of one valve stemmore than the other when moved out of a neutral position by the upperplate 60. Also, varying degrees of the tilting angle are provided as theupper plate 60 is mounted to turn with respect to the lower plate, thusdisplacing the angular position of the curved wedges and by moving theplate 60 along its center slot there is a lineal displacement.

This compound directional displacement of the curved wedges or cams ispossible as the upper plate 69 is provided with an annular dependingskirt segment 13 having gear teeth 14. The teeth '14 are in mesh with apinion gear 15 keyed to the end of a shaft 16.

The shaft 16 is mounted to rotate or reciprocate in a bearing sleeve 11having a shoulder.

pressed against a thrust collar 9|, see Fig. 1, which sleeve interfitsin the bore of a conical extension 18 of the second housing 50. Thisextension 18 extends through the wall plate 4| beyond the exterior ofthe wall, and the end of the bearing sleeve 1! and the shaft 16 extendbeyond the end of extension 18. The bearing sleeve has a longitudinalslot 80 along the end exposed outside of the conical member 18 to exposea plurality of rack teeth 8| on the shaft 16. In mesh with the teeth 8|is a gear 82 pivoted on a pin 84 mounted transverse a slot in an end cap85, which slot is aligned with slots 80 in the sleeve 11. The cap 85 isheld fixed to the end of the bearing sleeve 11 by a set screw 81.

The gear 62 is a segment gear with an upwardly projecting handle 88having a knob 89 marked with directional arrows pointing to the right,left and forward, so as to indicate Cold, Hot and Mix.

In operation, for example, Figure 2 shows the handle in neutralposition, and Figure 4 in Hot position. With handle 88 mounted in thecap 85 and sleeve 11, when the same is pulled to the left as in Figure4, the bearing sleeve and shaft are turned together and likewise thepinion gear 15. Pinion 15 being in mesh with the curved segment and itsteeth 74 on the plate 60 cause it to turn and angularly change theneutral position of the wedges 10 and H on the plates 6|] and 6| to openthe hot water valve II. If turned to the right the same action occursbetween the wedges but on the opposite side, to thereby open the coldwater valve [2.

If, on the other hand, a mixture is desiredwarm water-the handle 88 ispulled outwardly from the wall 28 and the gear 82 moves shaft 16 forwardthrough the bore of the bearing sleeve Tl, so that the collar 9|, shownin Figure 1 against the shoulder on shaft 16, presses against skirtsegment l3 and moves the top plate 6|) forward over bolt 62, Suchmovement of plate 6|] causes the under wedge surfaces 16 of the plate toslide over the top wedge surface H, to thereby push down on the top endsof the hot and cold water valves l and I2 evenly to give a warm watersupply to either the shower or the tub or the like. To change thetemperature, move the lever to left or right while the same is stillpulled forward. For example, if moved to the right with the lever inforward position the wedges are angularly displaced, so that the coldwater valve I2 is opened wider than the hot water valve H, see Figure 5.To close, the valve lever 88 is moved to neutral position by pressure ofcupped washer 92 which fits on sleeved end of pinion l5 and held inposition by pin 93, against skirt segment 13.

Thus we haveprovided a long-wear, quick-acting valve and a novel singlelever control for actuating the hot and cold water supply valves eitherselectively or in varying degrees of combinations to obtain any watertemperature desired.

Although we have illustrated and described our invention in considerabledetail, it is to be understood that other combinations and arrangementsof the several parts, which now may be made by others skilled in theart, are likewise to be construed as part of this invention. Todetermine the scope of the invention, reference should be had to theappended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a water mixing system for supplying hot and cold water from ahousing having hot and cold water inlets connecting with a mixingchamber, a valve for each inlet, each valve having a reciprocable stem,an outlet from said mixing chamber, a pair of wedge members eachoperatively coupled with a stem and supported for movement therewith inthe opening and closing movements of the valves, a second pair of wedgemembers each in wedging engagement with a wedge member of the firstpair, means supporting the second pair of wedge members for bothrectilinear and rotary movement as a unit with respect to and while inwedging engagement with the first mentioned wedge members, and means foreffecting selective rotational and rectilinear movement of the secondpair of wedge members.

2. In a water mixing system for supplying hot and cold water from ahousing having hot and cold Water inlets connecting with a mixingchamber, a valve for each inlet, each of said valves having areciprocable stem, an outlet from said mixing chamber, a pair of wedgemembers each operatively coupled with a stem and supported for movementtherewith in the opening and closing movements of the valves, a secondpair of wedge members each in wedging engagement with a wedge member ofthe first pair, each pair of wedge members being carried upon a plateand said plates being disposed one above the other, means of supportingthe plate and the wedge members of the second pair for both rectilinearand rotary movement with respect to and while in wedging engagement withthe first mentioned wedge members, one of said plates including anarcuate toothed rack, a shaft extending into the housing from outside awall, a pinion gear on the shaft in mesh with the teeth of said rack,and handle means on said shaft for turning said pinion and rack tothereby turn and position the plate and wedge members of the second pairwith respect to the wedge members of the first pair to actuate saidvalves.

3. In a hot and cold water system for selectively discharging hot orcold water and varying combinations thereof, actuating means for atleast two valves having elongated stems supported for reciprocalmovement, comprising a pair of centrally apertured plates disposed oneabove the other and above said stem, a bolt passing through theapertured plates, the lower plate engaging the valve stems, the apertureof the upper one of said plates being a slot to permit sliding movementthereof and the aperture of the lower plate being of a size to permittilting movement thereof, curved wedges carried by each plate, saidwedges of the lower and upper plates contacting each other at their highand low points respectively, and means for selectively rotationally andreciprocably moving the upper plates so as to change the relativepositions of the high and low points of each two contacting wedges tothereby depress said valve stems and actuate the said valves.

4. In a hot and cold water system for selectively discharging hot orcold water and varying combinations thereof, actuating means for atleast two valves having elongated stems supported for reciprocalmovement, comprising a pair of centrally apertured plates disposed oneabove the other and above said stems, a bolt passing through theapertured plates, the lower plate engaging the valve stems, the apertureof the upper one of said plates being a slot to permit sliding movementthereof and the aperture of the lower plate being of a size to permittilting movement thereof, curved wedges carried by each plate, saidwedges of the lower and upper plates contacting each other at their highand low points respectively, a shaft rotatably and slidably mounted forconnection with the upper one of said plates, an arcuate toothed rackcarried by the upper one of the plates, a pinion mounted on one end ofsaid shaft and having toothed connection with said rack, rack teethformed in the other end of said shaft, a gear in mesh with'said shaftteeth, a cap rotatably mounted on the saidother end of the shaft, saidgear being pivotally mounted in said cap, and a handle connected withsaid gear adapted to be swung in arcs at right angles to each other toimpart both turning and sliding movement through said shaft to the upperone of the said plates.

5. In a hot and cold water system for selec tively discharging hot orcold water and varying combinations thereof, actuating means for atleast two valves having elongated stems supported for reciprocalmovement, comprising a pair of centrally apertured plates disposed oneabove the other and above said stems, a bolt passing through theapertured plates, the lower plate engaging the valve stems, the apertureof the upper one of said plates being a slot to permit sliding movementthereof and the aperture of the lower plate being of a size to permittilting movement thereof, curved wedges carried by each of said plates,said wedges of the lower and upper plates contacting each other at theirhigh and low points respectively, a shaft rotatably and slidably mountedfor connection with the upper one of said plates, an arcuate toothedrack carried by the upper one of the plates, a pinion mounted on one endof said shaft and having toothed connection with said rack, rack teethformed in the other end of said shaft, a gear in mesh with said shaftteeth, a cap rotatably mounted on the said other end of the shaft, saidgear being pivotally mounted in said cap, a handle connected with saidgear adapted to be swung in arcs at right angles to each other to impartboth turning and sliding movement through said shaft to the upper one ofthe said plates, and a knob on the end of said handle having handledirection movement indications thereon for predetermining valvepositions whereby selective or varying combinations of hot and coldwater are obtainable by movement of the handle.

ROBERT E. QUILLIN. DONALD COULTER. CORNELIUS JAMES CALLAGHAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS .Number Name Date 1,095,003 Leonard Apr. 28, 19141,573,210 Whidden Feb. 16, 1926 1,641,561 Whidden Sept. 6, 19271,845,627 Rosewood Feb. 16, 1932 1,856,380 Foster May 3, 1932 2,322,157Porter June 15, 1943

